


Love You in the Dark

by thedevilyousay



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Miscommunication, POV Derek Hale, Stilinski Family Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 15:01:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3614289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedevilyousay/pseuds/thedevilyousay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i><b>Prompt:</b> Person B knowing they’re undoubtedly about to die within the next few seconds, likely from the gaping wound they’re bleeding out from. Instead of calling for help, they phone Person A and carry on a casual conversation as if nothing is wrong, making sure to mention how much they love them before their time runs out.</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It’s the ringtone that wakes him. He’s only been asleep for an hour or two, maybe, and to his sleep deprived brain it’s the most obnoxious noise he’s ever heard. He blindly flails for the phone, knows it’s buried some where in the bed. He finally finds it mid chorus, “got my heartbeat running away” still echoing as he slides to answer.</p><p>" What?” He snarls.</p><p>“Derek! Derek. H-hey, hey, were you asleep? I figured you’d still be awake but I’m going to guess you were asleep because of your voice and I –“</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s the ringtone that wakes him. He’s only been asleep for an hour or two, maybe, and to his sleep deprived brain it’s the most obnoxious noise he’s ever heard. He blindly flails for the phone, knows it’s buried some where in the bed. He finally finds it mid chorus, “got my heartbeat running away” still echoing as he slides to answer.

“What?” He snarls. 

“Derek! Derek. H-hey, hey, were you asleep? I figured you’d still be awake but I’m going to guess you were asleep because of your voice and I –“

“Did you need something, Stiles?” Said voice is at the octave of gravel when he interrupts and he hears the other man suck in a sharp breath across the line. 

“I-yeah, I mean no, not really, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. When that basilisk grabbed you and started to chew I was sure you were a goner, you know, and I just wanted to make sure all your fancy werewolf healing was still working properly.” 

A piece of Derek’s brain notes that Stiles sounds a little crazed but it doesn’t help wake him any further. Stiles _always_ sounds a little distraught for a while after they defeat the latest big bad of the week. Derek sighs, rolling over on to his back and trying to blink some of the sleep out of his eyes as he begrudgingly admits to himself he won’t be able to pass out again until he knows Stiles has calmed down. This isn’t exactly a normal protocol for them, they rarely talk outside of pack meetings or the stray text here and there but that makes no difference. Whatever’s been going on between them for the last five years carries an unspoken agreement of mutual comfort when needed.

“I’m fine, Stiles. You didn’t have to call and check.”

“What? No! Of course I did, Der-Bear! We’re friends, right? I mean, friends check up on each other and stuff. Especially friends who have near death experiences every other week with each other, it’s just the polite thing to do.” Stiles voice cracks a little bit over the friends part and Derek feels an uneasiness begin to creep up his spine.

The fight with the basilisk had been awful but quick for the most part. The snake monster had moved into town over two weeks ago and it had only taken the pack one of those weeks to figure out how to trap and kill it, in no small part thanks to Stiles new, carefully compiled bestiary. They had cornered it in a warehouse where its large bulk put it at a disadvantage, its oversized body incapable of maneuvering properly. There had been a moment right at the end of the fight where it had grabbed Derek as he went to impale it’s head, its huge jaws snapping around his torso, fangs skewering him as he shoved the blade into its skull when he had worried this would be it. His life would end as a bad knockoff of Anaconda, ( _“Really, Stiles? This movie has no basis in fact.”_ ) with Scott, only at the last minute, jumping in from behind and forcing the weapon the rest of the way in. Derek had stayed awake long enough to watch the life bleed from it’s eyes and thought maybe they could be friends in the after life, find a chamber or train depot to hang out in together, secrets optional. ( _“I don’t care if you can speak Parseltongues, Stiles, take it off the plan list.” _)__

__But when he woke, Erica and Boyd were holding the upper jaw back enough for Isaac and Stiles to drag him out, the latter cursing at him the whole time._ _

__“What the fuck, Derek?! I told you to stay in its blind spots, not charge in like some sort of Deathproof werewolf! What’s the point of me making plans if you don’t stick to them?!”_ _

__Stiles, despite his anger, had proceeded to sit with him long enough to see all of the major wounds start to close and the venom push itself out while the other’s did their best to clean up the mess before they had all headed to their separate homes._ _

__“Derek? Are you still there?” Stiles’ voice is a hoarse whisper in comparison to the furious volume he had reached earlier that night._ _

__“Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?”_ _

__“Me? I’m peachy. Swell. Stellar. My future has never looked so bright, in fact. It’s practically written in the stars. This conversation was about you. I was calling to check on you. As a friend. Because that’s what friends do.”_ _

__Derek begins to strain his hearing to see if he can pick up the cadence of Stiles’ heart as the man continues to ramble. It had been years since Derek had heard him sound this anxious over the phone, the last time specifically being the second time he was kidnapped and had managed to pocket dial Derek as he attempted to convince the hunters snatching him that he had no affiliation with the local pack anymore._ _

__These days, for the most part, Stiles was a rock of confidence the pack relied on, Derek included. He hadn’t realized how used to he’d gotten to the assertive, confident way Stiles had taken to speaking until he was hearing him sound so unsure of himself again._ _

__“Hey, Derek?”_ _

__“Yes?”_ _

__“Have I ever told you that I recognized you in the woods that day? I remember it so vividly. I remember being frustrated that we couldn’t find Scott’s inhaler and I was about to suggest giving up when I saw you stomping out of the trees and I think my heart might have stopped, Der. I knew who you were immediately. I recognized that coat and those eyebrows and suddenly I was eight years old again offering an older boy in a too big leather jacket one of my books to pass the time at the hospital and him smiling so sadly, his face and hands covered in ash as he picked one. You chose Howl’s Moving Castle and there are still smudges on the pages you turned. That was mom’s favorite book too.” He says the last part with no small amount of wonder and adoration._ _

__Derek feels his heart do a little flip as he suddenly remembers the doe eyed boy in the waiting room of the hospital that day, how kind he had thought the kid was for offering one of his books while they waited together, Derek for news of his uncle and the boy for whatever, he’d had no idea. He had selected something familiar, a cover he had pulled from his littlest sister’s shelf many times but never actually cracked and would never get another chance to either. The boy had sat quietly, kicking his short legs as they looked over it together, Derek only giving it back when Laura had finally come to get him so they could leave._ _

__“I’m sure you don’t remember me. It’s ok. I…I was really quiet before mom died. I know everyone likes to joke that I’ve never been quiet a day in my life but I was actually a really shy kid. I only started talking when mom stopped. I-I couldn’t stand the silence anymore, you know? Oh god, that’s so morbid, isn’t it?” He starts to giggle but it turns into a wheeze and Derek is jumping out of bed trying to find something to wear, panic starting to twist his stomach into knots._ _

__“Stiles? What’s wrong? What happened? Keep talking, okay? I’ll be there in a few minutes, just keep talking.”_ _

__“Do you think if we’d had more time you and I could have been something? I just…I wish –“ He trails off, his breathing starting to shallow. He’s silent for a few minutes, Derek begging him to keep going until finally,_ _

__“Hey, Derek?”_ _

__“I’m here, Stiles. I’m here. I’m almost there.”_ _

__“Have I ever told you that I recognized you in the woods that day? I…I think I’ve been a little in love with you since the first time you smiled at me. You should learn to smile more often, Derek. Like, at these stars, for instance. Do you see them?”_ _

__Derek feels rather than hears the click of the call ending. There’s Stiles voice until suddenly there isn’t and Derek resists the urge to howl out the terror that seizes his heart. He’s still a solid five minutes from the Stilinski house and he doesn’t know what’s wrong but he feels the moment slipping through his fingers like sand. He hits redial over and over again as he drives, hoping that the ringing will be enough for Stiles to know he’s coming if nothing else._ _

__When he arrives, the front door is open and the sheriff’s car is haphazardly pulled into the driveway. In the distance, he thinks he might hear sirens but he doesn’t even waste time to turn off the Camaro before he’s bursting into the living room. He’s not even thinking at this point, only reacting on instinct when he realizes there’s only one heartbeat and it’s coming from outside on the back porch._ _

__“Stiles?!”_ _

__“Derek?”_ _

__The sheriff looks up from where he’s cradling his son’s body, his face dazed and broken._ _

__“I called an ambulance. He wouldn’t tell me what’s wrong when he called. He said that he promised Claudia he would take care of me and he’s sorry. I came home because I was worried…”_ _

__Derek doesn’t answer, wouldn’t even know how if he were going to. Instead, he’s hoisting Stiles into his arms as gently as possible and running back out the front door to meet the ambulance. As he’s laying him down on the stretcher, he notices the oozing scratches running down the length of both his arms and swears under his breath._ _

__He’s dialing Deaton as he watches the sheriff climb into his cruiser to lead the emergency vehicle, his ears so attuned to the inside of the ambulance in the hope of a familiar, hummingbird fast heartbeat that he misses the other man’s greeting._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you catch that derek's ringtone for stiles is super bass? because my secret headcanon is that Stiles changed it to that in an attempt to be very unsubtle about his feeling but Derek just thought he was being obnoxious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote these two chapters at separate times because at first i wasn't sure how i wanted to finish the story. but i listened to [ this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px42qZcCeRU) a whole bunch if you're curious and i swear every time it starts to speed up around 3:40 there is so much happy revelation in his voice and it's just really lovely and makes me have lots of OTP feels. don't look at me.

The next time Derek wakes up, it’s to a familiar heartbeat running away. He opens his eyes to find Scott already leaned over the mattress, making calming shushing noises to the panicked man in the hospital bed. 

Scott had been called before Derek but after the sheriff, yet his had gone to voicemail, Stiles parting words a quick “just checking in, love you bro” that hadn’t meant anything more to Scott than a normal occurrence until his mother had called with the news. Since then, he and Derek had been splitting the pull out recliner between the Sheriff’s work shifts. 

“Scott? What happened?” Stiles voice is hoarse when he finally calms down enough to speak, much like it was the last time Derek heard it and it makes all of his senses go on alert, his hearing locked onto that erratic thump without even trying now. 

“Hey, buddy. You cut up your arms on that snake’s teeth dragging Derek out of it’s mouth and forgot to tell us. If Deaton hadn’t had an antidote already made…” Scott coughs, hiding the rest of his words behind a hand over his mouth. Stiles swallows loudly. 

“Yeah, I…sorry.” Except when it comes out he doesn’t sound sorry, he sounds resigned and maybe a little contrary. It makes Derek’s blood boil.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He stands up in a rush, shoving Scott over enough that he can loom over the side of the bed too. “You called your father, Scott, and me and you didn’t ask one of us for help. You said your goodbyes like you’ve had them prepared for years and now all you have to say is sorry?” 

Stiles eyes have gone so wide Derek can see the white all around and there is a sudden, sharp spike of fear filling the air when he breathes in. But the longer they stare at each other the faster that scent turns to anger and Stiles is grasping the sheets of his bed to pull himself up, Scott scrambling to help him sit. 

“What the hell does it matter to you, Derek? Why are you even here? Haven’t we already established that you don’t even listen to me much less care about me? You just think I’m the stupid human with the stupid plans you never follow. You almost died! I saw that snake grab you and I thought you were gone and you didn’t think twice about how that would make m-the rest of us feel, did you?” His speech turns into a quiet, gasping sob that has him clutching at Scott for support. It makes Derek shrink back a little, feeling the reprimand almost physically but it doesn’t quell the anger still thrilling under his skin. 

Stiles takes a minute to catch his breath before looking back up at Derek, his eyes watery. “I called you?” He finally asks in confusion, shooting a glance at his best friend for confirmation. 

Scott gives it without question. “Derek is the one who got you to the ambulance in time after your dad called it. He also called Deaton so that he would be waiting up here with the antidote for the venom.” Stiles sinks back into his pillows, letting out another pant of anxiety.

“Fuck. Fuck. I thought that was a dream. ” He doesn’t look back up at Derek again, his hands nervously crossing in his lap. Scott chooses this moment to excuse himself. Derek and Stiles both stare daggers as he makes his justifications. 

“Are you hungry, bro? I’m hungry. I’m going to go get you some jello. The blue kind.” And with that, he quickly runs out of the room. 

It’s quiet for a long time in the space he leaves behind. Stiles sits back in his bed, his whole body going limp with defeat as Derek still looms over the side of it.

“You should go, too. I’m sure my dad is on his way or something. Thanks for saving me, I guess.” Is what he finally follows up with. Derek’s brows arch incredulously. 

He considers it. He considers leaving and not turning back until he’s out of the state, maybe the whole country but his actual body doesn’t flex an inch. Instead, he stands there and continues to debate internally as to how he should proceed. Because before Stiles’ phone call, Derek had played with the idea of the two of them but never given it any credibility for multiple reasons. He was too broken, too quiet, too scared. Stiles was too important, too bright, and too good to be weighed down by Derek’s sad existence. But as he stands in the aftermath of almost losing the last person that has any positive effect on his life he decides that he is also too selfish.

“Do you recall what you said to me on the phone?” 

Stiles goes a little green at the reminder of his last call and harshly shakes his head no. Derek doesn’t really believe him but he continues anyway. 

“You told me you recognized me the day we met. Because on the worst day of my life and despite it being one of the worst parts of yours, you took pity on a sad, dirty teenager and shared your mother’s favorite book with him.”

Stiles gives up glaring at his own hands only long enough to roll his eyes at Derek and mutter under his breath “That’s not what I said,” but Derek keeps going.

“Later, you asked me if I had ever thought about us. Did I think you and I could ever be something more and that you wished…but you didn’t finish. What were you going to say, Stiles?” 

While Derek had been talking, Stiles heart rate had begun to accelerate again and a pretty flush had broken out on his cheeks and neck in place of the earlier green. It quietly pleases Derek to see him with so much color again after being so sickly pale but he tries not to break the seriousness of the moment with a relieved grin. However, his relief quickly turns sour when the tears that had been threatening earlier finally crest Stiles’ cheekbones. 

“Fuck you, Derek. I was out of it. You can’t hold that against me. I’m sorry I called you in a moment of weakness and got my feelings everywhere but I don’t deserve being made fun of. If you must know, I was wishing for more time. With you, you ass. More time to convince you that maybe I’m worth something and there’s something between us, Derek, cause some days I feel it in my bones and I just needed you to give me a cha-“ 

Derek cuts the rest of his sentence off with his mouth. Stiles hands flail out in shock before they land firmly on Derek’s face and it isn’t long before he’s giving back as good as he’s getting. His lips are warm and chapped and maybe the best tactile sensation Derek has ever experienced. He moves his own hands to Stiles waist and they stay kissing like that for what feels like seconds, not long enough, never long enough again, but in reality must have been a few minutes because Scott is opening the door with a surprised, happy yelp before he’s back pedaling as fast as his legs will carry him.

Stiles pulls back first with a quiet, hurt noise that after the three days Derek’s had his heart can’t really handle. He moves to start kissing it better again but Stiles stops him with a hand on his chest. So Derek brings his own hand up to the back of Stiles’ neck and begins to rub comforting circles, their foreheads meeting in the space between them as they lean in. When Stiles finally speaks, he whispers “What was that?” 

A threat. A promise. A long time coming. But Derek only replies with “A chance.”

There are still tear drops caught in Stiles’ long, dark lashes when Derek finally opens his eyes to see his reaction but they no longer match his expression. Instead, there’s a quiet hope sparking in their framed amber depths, a hope Derek slowly realizes he recognizes. Later, when he’s thinking back on it, he’ll appreciate that he’s been seeing that look for a long time, actually, over every shared meal, accidental touch, bandaged wound and more shared between through the years. He prays Stiles can finally see its reflection in his own eyes. 

Their next kisses are sweet where the first were rushed and life affirming but it’s Derek who pulls back this time.

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t call for help, Stiles. You made three whole phone calls before you passed out and any one of them could have been to 911.” 

Stiles physically retreats back into himself, that same look of defiance he’d held before returning. One thing that Derek has learned about Stiles over the years is that he talks a lot but rarely does he actually say anything. And when he does, it takes him some time to put his thoughts together, a trait they actually share and had lent to so much understanding between them in the past. So Derek waits for him to figure it out and hopes there is a good explanation. 

“I didn’t realize I’d been scratched until I got home. They were super shallow and didn’t even hurt, Derek. I know now that was probably the paralytic but it didn’t occur to me until later and then…I couldn’t take the chance. Maybe the ambulance wouldn’t be fast enough; maybe Deaton didn’t have a cure. I just thought if my time was limited anyway, I’d rather make sure that the people I was leaving behind knew that I loved them and I had tried my best while I was here. I couldn’t bare leaving…” But he stops when he realizes that Derek has quit breathing. 

“Derek? What’s wrong? Are you ok? Am I ok?” He turns to look at his own monitor but dismisses it quickly when he sees nothing amiss. He makes grabby hands at Derek until the older man finally sits heavily on the bed next to him, blinking a little rapidly. 

“Derek, c’mon, breathe, ok?” Stiles grabs one of his clawed hands and puts it on his own chest where Derek can feel him taking slow and even deep breaths. When Derek finally does catch his breath, it’s with a gasping laugh. He laughs so hard his eyes water and he knows Stiles probably must think he’s crazy at this point. 

“You don’t even realize what you said, do you? It’s just that simple for you. Jesus.” 

Stiles expression remains frightened as Derek watches him mentally catalog all the words he’d previously spoken. “What did I say?!” He weakly punches Derek in the arm and tries to kick him off the bed when the wolf starts laughing again.

Ultimately, after several more minutes of intermittent giggling and crazed looks, Derek calms down long enough to explain.

“You said you loved me.”

Stiles flushes again and Derek quickly realizes that it’s a look he wants to cause constantly and consistently for the rest of his life. He finally grins, unable to contain all of the emotions he’s been uncontrollably cycling through anymore. Sue him, he hasn’t really slept in the last 96 hours. 

“That’s not what I said. And I hate you. Everyone hates you. You literally are the embodiment of the term ‘a face only a mother could love’ and I never want to see you again.” Stiles crosses his arms defensively over his chest, looking away from Derek and out the dark window of the hospital room.

Derek thinks he’s wonderful. “I love you too, Stiles.” 

“Oh. Well. That changes things.” And Derek witnesses the first of many smirks that he will soon learn means everything is finally and beautifully right with the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are <3.

**Author's Note:**

> i post a lot of sterek on my [tumblr](http://www.witchspark.tumblr.com) if you're into that.


End file.
